NC State Football

NC State football and men's basketball play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn has been suspended indefinitely after making an offensive comment about immigrants and the city of El Paso, per Luke Decock of The News & Observer.

Per that report, Hahn was announcing the score of the Sun Bowl during the broadcast of the Duke's Mayo Bowl between Maryland and NC State when he said, "amongst all the illegal aliens down in El Paso it's UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6."

"Learfield has suspended Wolfpack Sports Network play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn from his agreement indefinitely following comments made during today's Duke's Mayo Bowl radio broadcast," Wolfpack Sports Properties general manager Kyle Winchester said in a statement.

Hahn is employed by Learfield Communications and has been broadcasting NC State football and men's basketball games since 1991. He was named the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in both 2011 and 2020.

The Sun Bowl canceled its Fan Fiesta on Thursday due to the El Paso convention center being used to house migrants.

"Our Fan Fiesta scheduled for Dec. 29 has now been canceled due to the state of emergency that has been declared," Sun Bowl association executive director Bernie Olivas said in a statement. "They are using the convention center to house some of these poor migrants that are looking for shelter somewhere, so we have canceled the Fan Fiesta."

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court permitted federal officers "to continue expelling migrants before they have received an asylum hearing," per Leyla Santiago, Rosa Flores and Elizabeth Wolfe of CNN.com.

While that policy from the Donald Trump presidency, Title 42, was set to expire on Dec. 21, the Supreme Court ruled that it could remain active while it's being challenged in the courts.

El Paso has seen as many as 2,500 migrants reaching the city per day, according to Mayor Oscar Leeser, and the city has declared a state of emergency.

The convention center was one area being used to house migrants in the city, alongside hotels, churches and NGOs.

North Carolina State quarterback Devin Leary will enter the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.

Leary suffered a torn pectoral in October and was ruled out for the rest of the season, but Thamel reported he is expected to be cleared to throw by March. It could put him on track to compete in spring football for his new team, while likely being fully healthy by the start of the 2023 season.

The New Jersey native had 62 career touchdown passes across four seasons with the Wolfpack.

Leary came to North Carolina State as a 4-star recruit in 2018, redshirting his first season before earning a starting job as a freshman in 2019. He was in and out of the lineup the next two years, although he truly broke out in 2021 when he totaled 3,433 passing yards with 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

The Wolfpack went 9-3 that year while Leary was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

After entering 2022 as the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, Leary threw 11 touchdown passes with four interceptions in six games before suffering his injury.

North Carolina State went 5-1 in Leary's starts but had just a 3-3 record without him.

MJ Morris could enter 2023 as the starter for NC State after impressing during his brief opportunity this season, throwing seven touchdown passes with one interception, while Ben Finley could also compete for the job.

Leary should have no shortage of suitors around the country as a proven quarterback with significant experience against top competition. The 23-year-old should be an immediate starter wherever he lands, potentially getting a chance to improve his stock for the 2024 NFL draft.

Former NC State defensive lineman Joseph Boletepeli was arrested and charged with misdemeanor stalking and communicating threats to Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren.

ESPN's David M. Hale reported Friday that Boletepeli, a member of the NC State football team in 2018 and 2019, allegedly sent out a Twitter post that read: "Imma get him I promise. Dave Doeren and the rest."

The 22-year-old North Carolina native was also charged with resisting arrest, per Hale.

Along with the Twitter post, investigators allege Boletepeli "went to Doeren's place of work several times and sent threats through text message" to both Doeren and other Wolfpack staff members, according to WRAL.

Boletepeli was released from custody and placed on house arrest with an ankle monitor Friday.

Court records allege the former NC State player acted in a way that "would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress by placing that person in fear of death, bodily injury ... or the safety of the person's immediate family," per Josh Shaffer and Virginia Bridges of the Charlotte Observer.

Boletepeli was ordered to remain away from Doeren and the NC State campus as part of the conditions for his release on $25,000 bond.

Boletepeli was a 3-star prospect when he committed to NC State ahead of the 2018 season. He transferred to Maryland in 2020, appearing in four games for the Terrapins.

He appeared in the Terps' 2021 spring game but wasn't on the team's final roster last year.

NC State hasn't provided a statement about the arrest beyond confirming Boletepeli's status as a former Wolfpack player.

North Carolina State has extended head football coach Dave Doeren's contract through the 2026 season, the school announced Thursday. All 10 of his assistants also got new contracts. 

According to ESPN's Andrea Adelson, Doeren's deal is worth $5 million per year. He previously received $3.5 million per season.

"Dave continues to provide tremendous leadership for NC State football and elevate the standards for our program," athletic director Boo Corrigan said in a statement. "We continue to see competitive growth, academic growth and there is great continuity among our entire staff. ... We're excited for even greater days ahead."

Doeren has been head coach of the Wolfpack since 2013, leading the team to a 64-49 record. In his nine years at the helm, NC State has had just two losing seasons in 2013 and 2019. 

The Wolfpack have played in a bowl game six times under Doeren and have gone 3-3 in those games. They could not play in its bowl game last year despite finishing 9-3 after the Holiday Bowl was canceled because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the UCLA program.

Doeren is the second-winningest coach in NC State history, and he has coached 21 players who have been drafted into the NFL during his tenure. Now that he's back for a 10th season, the Wolfpack could compete for the top spot in the ACC.

Before coaching NC State, Doeren coached Northern Illinois in 2011 and 2012. He went 23-4 during his tenure with the Huskies and led them to a win in the GoDaddy.com Bowl during his first season. 

The Holiday Bowl was officially canceled Wednesday after UCLA withdrew from the NC State matchup Tuesday because of COVID-19 issues.  

Per Fox Sports and The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, UCLA had just two available interior defensive linemen and a "converted linebacker as the backup nose guard," though the Bruins were still going to play before reportedly having more COVID-19 issues pop up Tuesday.

It's the latest bowl game to be canceled because of COVID-19 concerns. The Arizona Bowl (Boise State vs. Central Michigan), Military Bowl (Boston College vs. East Carolina), Wasabi Fenway Bowl (Virginia vs. SMU) and Hawai'i Bowl (Hawai'i vs. Memphis) were also canceled. 

A number of other bowl games have had to pivot to different matchups amid the pandemic. The Sun Bowl scooped up Central Michigan to face Washington State after Miami withdrew from the game, while the Gator Bowl added Rutgers to take on Wake Forest after Texas A&M pulled out. 

The cancellation is a major disappointment for both UCLA and NC State. The 8-4 Bruins had their first winning season under Chip Kelly and were heading to their first bowl game since 2017. 

The 9-3 Wolfpack, meanwhile, finished the season ranked 18th and were looking for their first 10-win season since 2002. 

Postseason heartbreak for COVID-19 reasons has become an unfortunate storyline for NC State this year. The school's baseball team had to pull out of the College Baseball World Series because of COVID-19 protocols in June, just a game away from reaching the final. 

North Carolina State safety Khalid Martin was stretchered off the field during a road game against Virginia Tech on Saturday after suffering a reported hip injury, per the ACC Network (h/t Michael Niziolek of the Roanoke Times).

Martin, who was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg, Virginia, is reportedly conscious.

Martin did not get up following a third-quarter play in which he suffered a head-to-head collision, per WRAL's Kacy Hintz.

Norm Wood of the Daily Press covered the scene on the field after that moment.

"Ambulance on the field for N.C. State safety Khalid Martin, who doesn't appear to have moved his legs. Extremely frightening situation. Almost all players for both teams taking a knee as they observe from a distance.

"Medical personnel have N.C. State safety Khalid Martin tied down to a backboard. They lifted him up a few inches and slid the board under him, taking great care not to move his legs and keep his body stationary. He still hasn't moved his legs.

"N.C. State players gather in a tight circle to pray as teammate Khalid Martin is strapped to a backboard with his neck secured in a heavy brace. As he's lifted into an ambulance parked at the 45-yard line, fans clap.

"N.C. State safety Khalid Martin appeared to be holding someone's hand—medical personnel member or coach...not sure—with his own left hand while he was on the ground, but didn't appear to move any other part of his body."

N.C. State provided an official update after the game:

Martin is a redshirt freshman who hails from Tobaccoville, North Carolina.

Although the coronavirus pandemic has been on the forefront of everyone's mind lately, North Carolina State head coach Dave Doeren has greater concerns heading into the college football season. 

"I don't mean this in a way that I'm not respecting COVID—because there are so many precautions for that—but I'm more worried about heat illness and season-ending injuries than I am about a virus, that in most cases in our guys' age group, is three to five days," Doeren said Tuesday, per Josh Graham of WSJS Sports Hub.

North Carolina State began its fall camp on Aug. 3 while preparing for an 11-game 2020 season. All ACC teams will play 10 conference games and one non-conference game, beginning on Sept. 7.

Season-ending injuries could be damaging for a team, especially after longer layoffs between training sessions compared to past years. Heat-related issues are also a significant concern, especially after Maryland offensive lineman Jordan McNair died after collapsing during a football workout in May 2018.

COVID-19 still remains an issue, especially with student-athletes returning to campus.

While older adults are certainly more at-risk, there have still been over 200 coronavirus deaths of people 15-24 years old in the United States, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Indiana offensive lineman Brady Feeney has also suffered serious effects from COVID-19, as his mother detailed Monday:

Even if many football players are able to recover within a few days, Doeren shouldn't overlook the potentially damaging disease or the potential for infected players to spread the disease to others in more vulnerable groups.